The US Foundation Giving Landscape
How 38,453 US private foundations actually give — analyzed from 400,188 grants in their IRS 990-PF filings. Which causes they fund, where they are, and how big a typical grant really is.
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38,453
Private foundations
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400,188
Grants analyzed
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51
States covered
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$5K
Median grant size
The number that matters most
📊How big is a typical foundation grant?
Across all 400,188 grants we analyzed, the median is $5K. Most foundation grants are modest — knowing the real distribution keeps your asks realistic.
Number of grants in each size band, from 400,188 itemized 990-PF grants (100% carry a reported amount).
Grants by size band. Based on the 100% of grants with a reported amount.
What they fund
🎯Foundations by cause area
Across 9 IRS cause areas, giving is led by Education (5,903 foundations), Human Services (4,784), and Religion (2,214).
Private foundations by primary cause area (unclassified funders excluded)
Where they are
🗺️The foundation map
Foundations cluster where wealth and population do — led by California, New York, and Texas. The darker a state, the more private foundations are headquartered there.
Private foundations by headquarters state (darker = more foundations)
Private foundations by total assets — most are small; the giants are rare
How giving concentrates
🌊Where each cause's money flows
Grant dollars traced from each cause area to the states that receive them — a quick read on which funders' money reaches your region.
Grant dollars flowing from cause area (left) to recipient state (right)
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💸Where the money actually goes
Because every grant amount is itemized on the 990-PF, we can total real dollars by recipient state and rank the largest funders. Get the full breakdown plus the complete PDF report:
🔓 Unlock the full Foundation Giving report
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📋 Methodology: compiled from IRS 990-PF filings across 38,453 private foundations and 400,188 itemized grants. Counts, medians, grant-size distributions, and grant-level dollar totals are reported directly from the filings; a single aggregate “total giving” figure is intentionally omitted where it can't be verified against itemized grants.
Explore the full directory: browse all foundations or see foundations by cause.